Can I Take A Shower In An RV With No Electrical Hook Ups?

by Christy
(California)

How to Take a Shower in your RV When Not Hooked Up

How to Take a Shower in your RV When Not Hooked Up

We are borrowing our friends RV, and I found out the place we are going has no electrical hook-ups. Does that mean we can't use the shower?

ANSWER: Hi Christy, yes, you will be able to take a shower in an RV whether you are hooked up to electricity or not. If the campground you are staying at has water hookups, just hook up the water to the RV. If the place you are staying at does not have water hookups, you can still take a shower by turning on the RV's water pump. The water pump runs on 12 Volt DC electric which is provided by the RV's House Batteries. The water pump gets the water from the RV's Fresh Water Tank, so it is important that you fill up the Fresh Water Tank prior to your trip.


If you want to take a hot shower, you will also need to turn on the RV's water heater. The RV's Water Heater runs off of the RV's Propane System, so it is important that you fill up the Propane Tank prior to your trip. The propane is also used by the RV's stove and furnace. When you are not hooked up to electricity the Propane is also used to operate the refrigerator of the RV.

I will forewarn you that you should not plan on taking a long, long, luxurious shower especially if the RV is not hooked up to an outside water source or sewer system. Freshwater holding tanks only hold so much water and the used water goes into the Grey Water Holding
Tank. You also need to be aware that the water heaters on RVs are a lot smaller than the ones in your home, so if you try to take too long of a shower, you will run out of hot water.

After reading this you are probably saying to yourself "why would I want to go camping in an RV if I can't even take a long shower". I will guarantee you that after you have been camping in an RV for a couple of days you will realize that the minor inconvenience of not being able to take a long luxurious shower is far outweighed by the fun you will have, trust me on this one.

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Before you go on your trip, I strongly suggest that you get with the friends that are lending you their RV and have them walk you through all the systems of the RV. I also urge you take notes as they walk you through the RV, so that you know where to turn on the water pump and water heater. Have them show you how to fill up the fresh water holding tank, how to dump the gray and black water holding tanks, etc.

Have fun on your trip.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for Can I Take A Shower In An RV With No Electrical Hook Ups?

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starstarstarstarstar 		Showering
by: Anonymous

We always take baby wipes, none scented, and clean up with those, if we are in a place where there is no hookups, or dry camping.
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starstarstarstarstar 		plan ahead for water
by: redgundogs

If you are going to be going to campgrounds that have hookups for water before the one that has none, fill the water tank before you leave that last campground. You will get better gas milage whether you are towing a trailer or driving a motor home. Before you leave the campground, empty the freshwater tank of what is left so you are not hauling it to the next campground. NOTE: I do leave a bit of water in mine in case I need it somewhere over the road, but only about 10 gallons.

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RV Showering
by: Anonymous

With or without electricity, "Navy"-style showers are recommended. Most campgrounds have shower facilities, so we take shower shoes (protects your feet from everything), use the campground shower for longer showers and use the trailer shower for quick rinse-offs!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Conserve your water
by: Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Good explanation. And, find out where the monitor panel is so you can keep an eye on the amount of fresh water and gray water you have in your tanks.

You'll probably want to take "navy showers." That means get wet, turn the water off. Soap, then turn the water back on to rinse. If you wash your hair, turn the water off while you lather and wash your hair. Keep your showers short and conserve water and you'll have enough.

There are other tricks to conserving water. If your tanks are small or you are going for more than a couple of days, be conservative so you have enough.

Have fun!

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

From RVing Al Thanks Jaime, very good advice as always. Note to our visitors, if Jaime's name sounds familiar, that's because she has authored and co-authored several RVing related books such as Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd Edition By Jaimie Hall Bruzenak, and RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road By Jaimie Hall Bruzenak, Alice Zyetz, and Steve Zikman.

Jaime and Alice Zyetz also have an excellent RVing website called RV Lifestyle Experts. You can also sign up for their free RV Lifestyle eZine by Clicking Here.

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